sorry Waiting,
it has to be done
path
Edited by - Pathofthorns on 24 September 2000 6:22:50
The "Great Preaching Work"
by Pathofthorns 5 Replies latest jw friends
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Grunt
I enjoyed the post. When you get down to how many hours it takes to get one person it really does show just how much of a farce the claims made about the preaching work being a success really are. If you subtracted the numbers disfellowshipped, disassociated and who just quietly quit attending on a regular basis and divide the number of hours into it, wow. I can't imagine a poorer showing. Any sales organization would fire everyone involved and close the doors if they had a similar ratio of hours to results.
Thanks again, I enjoyed it very much. -
AH
(from AhHah)
Path,
Excellent research. I often used to wonder about the effectiveness of the preaching work. Your numbers bear out my previous suspicions. I always felt that the work was important, nonetheless, because it allowed Christ to have a basis to judge mankind at Armageddon. I never could understand, however, how that would help the billions who don't hear the message. And, as you said, most who have had a call probably still don't know what the message is. And, now, they no longer claim Christ is now judging based on the witness being given.
With that, and the new "light" on the generation that would see the end, there is little wonder that members and hours are decreasing. I think the end is near - for the JW org., that is.
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AH
(from AhHah)
Path,
Excellent research. I often used to wonder about the effectiveness of the preaching work. Your numbers bear out my previous suspicions. I always felt that the work was important, nonetheless, because it allowed Christ to have a basis to judge mankind at Armageddon. I never could understand, however, how that would help the billions who don't hear the message. And, as you said, most who have had a call probably still don't know what the message is. And, now, they no longer claim Christ is now judging based on the witness being given.
With that, and the new "light" on the generation that would see the end, there is little wonder that members and hours are decreasing. I think the end is near - for the JW org., that is.
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waiting
Hey Path,
Thank you for your research - it's very thought provoking.
(Generally left out of their door to door ministry is the fact according the September 1, 1989 Watchtower page 19, that “Only Jehovah's Witnesses, those of the anointed remnant and the "great crowd," as a united organization under the protection of the Supreme Organizer, have any Scriptural hope of surviving the impending end of this doomed system dominated by Satan the Devil.”
One of the main reasons we go in service - so we and our children will be saved from Jehovah's vengence. Note that this doesn't include for our neighbor - but we are trying to save our family. We've been taught that our children will be killed by God if we don't go in service (show good fruits) and inculcate in our children the need to show same Godly spirit.
But along with that quote, we do try to save other persons - we've been taught that's the only way they will get eternal life in Paradise - accept Jehovah (as a JW) and live.
As for teaching the Bible,
there is actually much less comprehension of the Bible among Witnesses themselves these days, and a much greater ignorance of their own beliefs and how to explain them
I was speaking to a young, devout, sister about the redundency of our Watchtower studies - and she parroted the line "we must go over the same truths again and again for the benefit of newly associated ones, even though it's boring for the rest of us." A statement I've heard before.
In other words, our knowledge progress seems to stop at a certain point so we all may remain at the same level - a level of being basic, not too deep in spiritual thought, thus being united worldwide.
I received the latest Watchtower today - one of the main study articles is on pioneering - reaching out for it above all. Do we "give" our finest to God? Or are we reaching out to make "a name for ourselves?" (through education and a well-paying job). As always, being encouraged to learn a trade (while still in high school) and work with our hands to support ourselves enough so we can be full-time pioneers.
The last article then goes into the necessity of our "giving" our finest in our money. Even though we have many fine King. Halls in the industrialized nations - thousands are needed in the nations with the true influx - so therefore much money is needed.
Notice the quote box: 5 small children are quoted as giving all their hard earned money to the WTBTS to help in God's work. A humble lesson for the adults to take to their heart. Or just get money from kids......
Please don't take your writing from the board - it's good information and well written. Thank you.
waiting
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RedhorseWoman
Hours....getting in our time....ah, yes, I remember it well.
Sixty hours, or eighty hours, or a hundred hours a month don't seem to be a great amount of time until you consider that most of those who pioneer must also work part-time in order to support themselves. Of course, the work they do is usually of a menial sort and doesn't pay well.
I can remember working in the morning, then writing letters while I ate lunch, service for at least 4 hours in the afternoon (so that I wouldn't fall short of the 100 hours if I got sick), then go home to help with chores or whatever else Mom needed, then get ready for meetings. No wonder I got sick.
The emphasis was always on the hours. Fall short of the quota for several months, and you are removed as a pioneer. So often I and my pioneer partners would want to go to a nursing home to visit an elderly brother or sister, or visit someone who was sick, but it was really difficult. We had to make sure that we had extra "hours" on tap so we could afford to lose the "time" that was uncountable by visiting those in need.
This always bothered me....don't show love and caring to those in need if it will cause you to fall short of your "quota".